Book Reviews
“Imagination, adventure and hope rest within these pages.”
—Great-grandmother Mary Lyons, Ojibwe Elder and Author
“A timely and lushly drawn story about fearless young women blazing new paths for themselves and Mother Earth.”
—Courtney Maum, author of The Year of the Horses, Costalegre, and Touch
“This compassionate and creative force touches the heart with visions of the natural world and of unity amongst earth's diverse plant, animal and human nations. It is a call to heal humanity's relationship with the planet.”
—Alexis Estes, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
“This magical story contains potent medicine that’s so needed in this time. Braiding together a riveting journey for girls of all ages, and informed by ancient Earth wisdom, the Dreamcatcher Codes have all the ingredients to enchant and embolden tomorrow’s leaders. Filled with great role models and mythic trials, adventures and sisterhood, this beautiful book will help bring hope, vision and healing to all who read it.
— Nina Simons, co-founder, Bioneers: author, Nature, Culture & The Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership
"Now, more than ever, teenage girls need to step into the possibilities of who they are and have the potential to become. The Dreamcatcher Codes invites them to cultivate their imaginative power and explore how Mother Nature, along with the deep and nurturing bonds of sisterhood, can guide them to know themselves, and connect to their own strengths. At an age when girls are seeking to belong, this mythic and empowering story helps them discover how nature is a part of all of us. The author ingeniously interweaves messages of wisdom and insights from a culturally diverse array of ancient traditions that honor our common humanity as caretakers of our planet, and of each other.”
—Ellen Feig Gray, M.A. Parent Coach, Developmental Psychologist, Author, TEDx Speaker
The Drearamcatcher Codes is compassionate, wise and galvanizing, both a breathtaking advanture and an urgent call-to action. Not only will you wish you had a flying horse, it will also inspire you to do anything you can to save this gorgeous planet we call home.
— Lance Rubin , author of Crying Laughing and Denton Little’s Deathdate
I believe that every young woman who goes on this journey with these four guardians will come out on the other side a little bit stronger, a little bit braver, and much more aware of her power to change the world."
—Cassandra Taylor, Writer
“Barbara Newman is a visionary. Using her pen like an artist uses a brush, she creates landscapes that take us out of ourselves and into worlds of wonder. I flew with the cowgirls through lush pink skies and over the stunning beauty of the open desert. And I didn’t want to stop.”
—Jana Laiz, Award-winning author of The Twelfth Stone
"Weaving magic and womanhood with love of our beautiful planet, the writer has brought a story to life I wish I’d been able to read as a young girl. The Dreamcatcher Codes will inspire you to speak up for what is right, to have hope and above all…be brave... just like a cowgirl.”
—Adrian Brannan, singer/songwriter, author Dear Cowgirl
“A rich, inspiring tale that reveals the power inherent in young women when they listen to their wild souls, their connection to the natural world and its inhabitants, and to each other. A hopeful vision of cooperation, determination, and what we can become."
—Kat Livengood, renowned wild horse photographer
“Barbara Newman’s imaginative story is an empowering read – beautifully written and a page-turner, to boot.”
– Holly George-Warren, author of Janis: Her Life and Music and The Cowgirl Way
"Camaraderie and connection to earthly elements are all part of cowgirl spirit. Barbara Newman weaves these themes in an empowering tale of adventure, relevant to today’s times. Readers will be swept away on their own magical horses with four young sisterly stewards on a cultural quest to protect our planet from destruction. They’ll complete the journey with renewed faith, purpose and awareness for the future. Together, we can make a difference.”
-Jennifer Denison, senior editor, Western Horseman
"Barbara Newman's luscious words invite us, implore us, to look upon our beloved Mama Earth as astronaut Alan Shepard did from his first steps on the Moon — with awe and majesty. The Dreamcatcher Codes is sure to imprint readers young and old with renewed wonder and respect for our sacred, natural world. Like a tuning fork, Newman's fantasy novel will resonate and activate your own inner guardian of Gaia. What a gift of inspiration to give our younger generations as they prepare to step forth into the world. ”
—Deb Chamberlin, Singer-Songwriter, author, The Awakened Artist
“This book is a work of art. It is also timely and necessary for it calls the inheritors of today’s world home, This book is a homecoming. It is medicine for the soul, and it is frankly glorious.
—Clare Dubois, Founder TreeSisters.org “In this fantastical story, girls from all walks of life come together for the common good. By embracing diversity, equality, and inclusion, they become a stronger whole. It is my hope that every girl reads this book and steps into her power to become a changemaker.”
— Ross Ellis, Founder and CEO STOMP Out Bullying
“Barbara Newman has woven a tapestry of mythology and magic from cover to cover. Across time and space, the reader is carried on a journey of love for the natural world, while hoping that the four mighty heroines, who risk everything, will succeed in saving the planet. At this critical time in our endangered reality, this book is an urgent call for us to do the same.”
— Hope Fitzgerald
In her In her review for BookTrib, Susan Bailey writes:
“Barbara Newman combines her advocacies of girls’ leadership and care of the earth into a rich and beautifully written story that adds a crucial element to the conversation regarding climate change. This book is not preachy or strident, nor is it dystopian — a refreshing change of tone in discussing environmental issues.
It is a story based on hope for the renewal of Mother Earth through the cooperation of humanity. It is a story of connection between very different people, plants and creatures, traditions and ancestral history. It is a story that will inspire girls to dig deep within and ponder what empowers them. Newman makes a call to action for our planet that is far more persuasive because of its positive and hopeful nature. Her approach makes The Dreamcatcher Codes a must-read not only for young people but for adults as well.”
Sophia Rose, an indigenous healer and guardian of mother earth, is caught unaware by a dangerous force. The crystal horseshoe she uses to protect the earth is broken, and one piece is carried away. She summons four girls, each representing a different element—earth, wind, fire and water--to find the missing crystal.
This is the beginning of a wondrous book that is part adventure story, part luminous fable. Maia, representing the earth, is an indigenous girl from South Dakota, and the main protagonist of the book, but each of the girls, Maia (earth), Falcon (wind), Yue (water) and Ava (fire) are fully realized and interact together as normal girls who are molded by circumstance into heroes. Through many adventures in this beautifully plotted story, the girls learn how to become an earth warrior team, and by facing their own fears and limitations, to grow stronger until they are ready to stand up to the forces destroying the planet.
This is a beautiful fantasy for our times. As I read it, I was reminded of my favorite book when I was 12, "A Wrinkle in Time." Dreamcatcher Codes has the same strong mix of adventure and cautionary fable. The girls are as fierce and memorable for a new generation as Meg Murry was for me. I read this book, and I was 12 again. Each generation faces crises not of their making that they must nonetheless solve. Special books appear that are guideposts in dark times. Like "A Wrinkle in Time," this is one such book. Share it with any girl, or boy, who matters to you.
—Grace Jane, author of Sanctuary